Phase Six: Cold Pasta
by PlAiDbOxErS4myBuM
Summary: Feliciano hates thunder storms more then anything else. Lucky for him, he's only got one more to see.


It was a dark and stormy night. The kind of night that made one want to stay in and hide under the covers. Candles sat on empty surfaces offering weak light in the dangerous dark and Feliciano Vargas sat trembling in a corner. Tears clung to his soft cheeks in the dim light. A loud clap of thunder pierced the air.

"AAAAAAAAAAH! LUDWIG!" He shrieked.

Ludwig and his boss had told both Feliciano and his brother it was no longer safe to run around Europe whenever they wanted. With this assassin now on the loose, Ludwig specifically instructed he always have an appointment to see him until this assassin business was dealt with. Now with this storm raging and his brother staying at his friend's house, Feliciano was all alone. Another loud crash came tumbling down into the house causing Feliciano to scream again.

But his scream was not alone. A blood-curdling shriek resounded through his house. Terrified, the scared Italian bolted out of his deemed "safety corner" to grab another level on security. Quickly and expertly, Feliciano whipped a blanket around his body and plummeted to the floor.

Lightening flashed again, followed by it's boisterous friend. This time, he didn't scream. Feliciano listened for the other scream to come again.

And it did.

It was closer then before. Almost like it was at his front door. Scraping up a bit of nerve and a grabbing flashlight, the terrified man inched toward the door.

"What am I doing?" He asked aloud. "Th-there is a strange screaming outside a-and I'm just going to go see what it is? No! Lu-ludwig would not approve! H-he will scold me for being "rash". Bu-but what if it's someone else who's scared? Th-then maybe we can be scared together!"

More thunder and screams rang out as Feliciano debated with himself. Each scream growing closer then the next. He was thrust back into his state of panic when a rapid pounding began on his door. Opening the door, he pointed the beam of light outside.

"H-hello?"

"Pl-please!" The woman was soaked to the bone. "Please let me inside!AAAHH!"

She screamed; her dark green eyes wide with terror and her body pressed up against the door. Feliciano flung the door wide open.

"Come inside! Quickly!" He pushed his new guest inside. "It's dangerous outside in a storm like this!"

He looked over his new guest. Her brown curls hung lifeless against her wet face. A black leather jacket gleamed as it, and the rest of her clothes, clung tightly to her body. A black rabbit tucked itself close to her ankle; shivering and shaking in the Italian hall.

"You are soaking wet! Let me get you some clothes! Oh! And a towel or two! And some pasta! Oh but the stove doesn't work..Do you like cold pasta? Okay! I'll get some cold pasta for you! Stay right here!"

Excited to have some company, Feliciano ran off and gathered some clothes as he found them. Returning to the hall, he found his lovely guest right where she was as if frozen. He handed her the clothes.

"You can get changed right in here!" He pointed into a dark room with a few lit candles. "And when you are done I'll have some pasta ready."

"Th-thank you" The woman smiled shyly before a large crack of thunder stole it off her face, and she dashed into the room.

Drawing the blanket closer around him, Feliciano trotted down to the kitchen to prepare some cold pasta. He couldn't help but smile at knowing that he had someone with whom he could share the horror of this storm with.

The refrigerator light refused give light as he reached in for a bowl of pasta, but a bolt of lightening lit the sky long enough for him to see what he was grabbing. Swiftly, he gathered another bowl and a fork hoping to out run the thunder that was sure to follow. Feeling successful, Feliciano whirled around to meet his guest just as the thunder went off.

"AAAAAH!"

Feliciano screamed as he fell to the ground; staring, terrified, at his guest who had manifested herself in the kitchen. She ran over to Feliciano's side and cowered beside him as more lightening and thunder crawled into the sky.

"I'm so sorry for scaring you! But the thunder..it..i-it was just so frightening!" She cried into his side.

"It's alright! It is scary!" He began to stroke her hair.

"I-i should've stayed home!" she blubbered. "Then I wouldn't have gotten caught up in this terrible storm!"

Her tears some how comforted her kind host. He glided his fingers over her wet hair; pulling out droplets and flinging them onto the floor. Her little black rabbit bounded up and landed in her lap trembling.

"Looks like we are all scared!" Feliciano couldn't help but giggle. Ludwig would be proud of him for helping this terrified and lost woman. "My name is Feliciano Vargas! Would you like to stay and wait out the storm with me..um I don't know your name. What is it?"

The terrified woman looked up and the Italian stared into her dark, mesmerizing green eyes. A smile began to grow on her face, and Feliciano felt a cold chill kiss his spine.

The sky suddenly burst into light, releasing a foul, low rumble to shake the whole house. Forgetting about his chill, Feliciano grabbed hold of his guest and pulled her in close.

"I-i'm so glad your here! I do-don't know if I-i could make i-it through th-this storm alone!" He voice cracked with every word.

"That's alright" The woman purred into his chest.

The brightest bolt swam through the sky revealing a silver shine between them. Vargas felt a sharp point press gently onto his abdomen as the loudest thunder came flooding the house. Feliciano found himself the only one to jump and pushed the point through his clothes so the cold metal playfully licked his skin. Looking down, Feliciano trembled when he was met by the smile on his guests face.

"The key please, Vargas."

"Wha-N-n-NO! Yo-you can't have it!"Feliciano tried to push her away. "Ludwig told me that if anyone I didn't know came to me asking for the key, that I am not to tell them where it is or give it to them because he said it would be very bad if anyone found out it was with big brother Francis in paris!"

Feliciano's eyes tore open, realizing the mistake he made. He babbled on trying to confuse the woman but she just smiled wider.

"Thank you for your help, Feliciano." Her rabbit had climbed onto her head and pointed his glassy, black eyes at his owner's helpless prey. She pointed one finger at her head.

"This is Black Jack and I am Penelope."

- - - - - - - - - - –

Penelope Blackwood rose from the ground; having finished cleaning up after her latest kill. The hilt of her dagger stood straight up out of the dead carcass's stomach. She forcefully pulled out the blade from it's human sheath. Black Jack stood solemnly next to his master as she made her final rounds to make sure she missed nothing. He hopped next to her ankles when she turned and to retrieve her clothes. Digging her cell phone out of a sopping wet pocket, she let the glow illuminate the room.

_Vargas has been struck. The storm moves to Paris._

_-P_


End file.
